She told him she typically starts off by asking
candidates, "How did you spend your weekend?"

Guild tells Business Insider:

When I ask someone about their weekend, it's a genuine
question. I'm not looking to evaluate their answers, but rather
start to hear and understand who they are as a person.

Most people tend to get excited to share a story and you
start to get an idea of what inspires them and what they're
passionate about. I was surprised, in one interview, that the
candidate had a side "underground" bakery business. During our
discussion I learned about her passion for baking and how that
was an expression of her creativity. She also showed me
that the skills she developed in running a side business brought
her and her experience to life in a more tangible way. She
is now a senior member on our team.

While professional experience and skill set is important,
it's not all we hire for. We're looking for people who are
engaged in other areas of their lives — people who are curious,
inspired, kind, thoughtful, and empathic. Oh, and insanely
smart.

Amber Guild, president of
Collins.Courtesy of Amber
Guild

She says she also loves to know where people are from and a
bit about their upbringing.

"So much of who we are is
shaped by early experiences, and so it's always fascinating to
hear people tell their life stories," says Guild. "Of course,
they share only what they're comfortable with. Not only do you
learn about who they are and what motivates them — you can see
what kind of a storyteller they are. Storytelling is an art form,
and incredibly important to what we do."

Guild also asks more traditional questions.

"I always want to get a sense of the candidate's ability to
problem solve," she explains. "I'll usually leverage typical
interview questions around having them tell me about a challenge
they faced and how they navigated through it. I want to hear from
them about the experiences that they learned the most from and
why, but I also want to see how quickly they can pivot.

"In this business you need to be agile and know how
to change directions quickly. I may take the conversation in
an unexpected direction to see if they can quickly re-adjust and
seamlessly follow my lead. If so, great — and if they drive it,
even better."